Silk-cleaning machine



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.Urvrrnn STATES PATENT Oirrcn.

JOHN N. LEONARD, OF NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SILK-CLEANING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 292,830, dated February 5, 18841.

Application filed June 7, 1883.

the object being to combine,-with suitable delivering and winding mechanism, and with an improved arrangement of spindles around which the silk is conducted, improved tension and silk-drawing devices, whereby the strain upon the silk while passing over the spindles is regulated-according to its fineness, and the work of placing the silk on the machine and manipulating it while being cleaned is much I facilitated.

, In the drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is an end elevation of a silk cleaning and winding machine constructed ac cording to my invention, certain parts being broken away to show my improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, showing the parts which are broken away in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side View, partly in section; and Fig. 4, a reverse plan view of the drawing-roller and its supporting devices; and Fig. 5 is a section through line 3 3 Fig. 4, the stud being in ele vation.

In the drawings, A is one end of the frame of the machine, consisting, in practice, of two such, united by the usual string-pieces, and having an inclined spindle-table, D, supported on brackets B on one side thereof, capable of supporting several groups of cleaningspindles, 4.. The train of silk-cleaning devices shown in Figs. 1 and 2 illustrates each separate set, a number of which may be arranged on the side of one frame.

In theframe A is placed a shaft carrying thereon the drum 0, on the end of which shaft is a pulley driven by the belt 1), whereby drum 0 is rotated. A second shaft, of, is supported in said frame A, driven by belt b from the said drum-shaft, and on which is a pulley, w,

(No model.)

covered with leather or some similar frictional material.

Two spindle-boards, g and h, are fixed on frame A, the form er constituting a support for the spindle 17 and the receiving-bobbin f, and the latter set in an inclined position, and furnishing a support for the delivery-bobbin y and its spindle 18. Spindle 17 is driven by a band from drum 0, the bobbin f fitting thereon in such a manner that it is rotated by frictional contact with the spindle, the latter revolving therein. Spindle 18 has a tensioncord, 7, partially twisted, and adapted to be drawn against the edge of its whirl by a hook, 8, on which is a thumb-screw, whereby its rotation is frictionally retarded or obstructed. The delivery-bobbin y fits closely on spindle 18 and rotates the latter when the silk is drawn off from it.

A yarn-guide, o runs in front of the bobbin f, and is fixed to the end of an arm, a, on

each end of frame A, one end thereof being pivoted to the latter. A vertical reciprocating motion is given to guide a by a earn, 0, adapted to be rotated by connection with the drum-shaft through pinion e and gear d. Any other well-known means may be adopted for distributing the silk'on bobbin f as it receives it after being cleaned.

A drawing-roller frame, a, is bolted to the under side of the spindle-board g. To the rear edge of frame a is pivoted a stoparm, a", on which is a spring-arm, m Near the forward edge of frame 71. is pivoted the rollerarm m, on which is a pivot-sleeve,xm, having thereon a spring-arm, z, and a stop-catch, s. A spring, 2, is connected between arms 2' and 00 the tension force of which draws lever 00 toward sleeve m. Said lever .90 has on it a stop-catch, 14, and when the roller-bearing end of arm m is lifted up far enough the'stopcatches s and 14 engage with each other by the action of spring 2, thereby supporting arm at and the roller 1; in an upward position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. Pressing down the end of lever 00 disengages said catches and lets arm m and roller 11 drop. A weight may be suspended on arm m, if desired, to make pulley 6 bear harder on pulley w. The fiat-grooved drawing-roller 1), having thereon the pulley 6, is pivoted on the side of arm m by the bolt 15. Frame n and roller 1) are 10- I cated, relative to the pulley w on shaft 10*, so that pulley 6 will rest on pulley w when arm at and the drawing-roller c are allowed to drop down, and whereby said drawing-roller is rotated.

The spindles 4 in this machine are set in the oil-cups 3 in any well-known manner, their projecting ends being smooth to receive the silk, which is wound around them once or twice. Said spindles are arranged on the frame 2 in said cups 3 inparallcl rows, as shown. At the lower end of said rows, and between them, is supported an intermediate roller, 12, around which the silk passes, going from one row of spindles to the other, and whereby the silk is prevented from slipping off from the two lower opposite spindles as it passes across. Said oilcups 3 are formed integral with the frame 2. On the upper end of frame 2, in a suitable bearing, 13, is arranged a tension-shaft, 9, having a hand-wheel, 5, on one end of it. A short arm, 10, is attached to the inner face of wheel 5, and, running therefrom toward the center of frame 2, has its end bent toward shaft 9, but separated far enough from the latter to allow of passing the line of silk between it and shaft 9, as shown in Fig. 2. Shaft 9 and arm 10 are rotatable by turning the hand-wheel 5 to let the silk pass freely between them, or to cause the silk to have more or less frictional bearing upon their surfaces, and thus give more strain to it as it passes over the spindles.

In operatingmyimprovements to clean silk, the machine is started, bobbin 1 is placed on spindle 18, 011 which is silk to be cleaned, and a line of the latter is carried between shaft 9 and arm 10 of the tension device, around the ends of spindles :L, which are in a line with spindle 1S, thence around roller 12, and to the lower spindle of those in line with the drawing-roller v, and around those also, and thence around the said roller 1), the latter, however, at this time being, as aforesaid, held away from pulley w and not rotating. The end of the silk is then attached to bobbin f, and drawing'rollor c is then let fall to carry pulley 6 onto pulley w, and the silk is drawn rapidly from bobbin ff] over the spindles and received 011 bob bin f in a cleaned state, ready for spooling. Bobbin 1 having been emptied, the operation is repeated. In case the thread of silk breaks while passing over the machine, roller c,with its pulley 6, can be easily and quickly disconnected from its driving-pulley and stopped by raising the arm m, engaging thestop-catehes s and 14, while the ends are tied and again passed around it.

Several series of cleaning devices embodying the elements above described can be arranged side by side on the frame and table D in such a manner that one operative can easily manage them.

What I elaim as my invention is l. The combination of drum 0, pulley w, shaft 20', spindles 17 and 18, and means for driving said shaft and for rotating spindle 17 from said drum 0, with the drawing-roller v, having pulley 6 thereon, and means for supporting the latter over pulley w, the series of spindles 4, and the rotatable tension-regulating device, consisting of shaft 9 and arm 10,supported side by side, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with mechanism, substantially as described, for drawing a line of silk over a series of cleaning-spindles, of a series of spindles arranged in two parallel rows, a guideroller, 12, located between said rows, and a rotatable tension-regulatin g device consisting of the shaft 9 and hand-wheel .3, having an arm, 10, said shaft and arm supported side by side, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the pulley in, frame a, drawingroller 'r, and the pulley 6, with the arms in and .1", having the catches a and 14 thereon,and the spring 2, connecting said arms, substantially as set forth.

JOHN N. LEONARD.

\Vitnesses:

H. A. CHAPIN, C. \V. THOMPSON. 

